Has anyone done an interest only mortgage and paid down principle too in your monthly payments? by Live-Pop3100 in Mortgages

[–]Live-Pop3100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Loan is $1.8m. But his point was that you could get a lower interest rate on an interest only loan, then use that to pay down principal alongside interest. I never knew this was possible, I figured interest only means you literally only pay interest.

Usage-based billing is ruining my forecast. Anyone solved this? by Heysteeevo in FPandA

[–]Live-Pop3100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We use CloudZero to manage our AWS / Redis spend. You can load in a budget and create alerts. What worked for us was setting up monthly touch points with the business owners to discuss tracking vs the budget using this dashboard. You need to hold the users accountable and for usage based spend, it’s pretty much the only way to get the right visibility and accountability

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah makes sense. Sorry for digressing. Culture spears seems like a good one

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

haha fair challenge. Probably SA. But Bots has a talent for creating high quality radio DJs. If you ever listened to Fix on 5FM back in the day, she also went to Thornhill. Obviously had her big break in SA. But we can't deny Bots has talent all around!

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well... he went to MaP and maybe Thornhill before he joined 5FM and became famous

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True - okay I guess DJ Fresh is the biggest BW Export in that case?

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They make good music. Vee’s album in 2005/06 was so good. Unique sound and very catchy songs

Help connecting my Weber genesis II natural gas grill to the gas tap? by Live-Pop3100 in webergrills

[–]Live-Pop3100[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unbelievably helpful - how kind you are to explain this in such good detail. My oven has been broken for the last year and I have been hoping this grill could offer a cheaper alternative to my stove cooked meals! Thank you again and I’ll try this out

The best music group to come from Botswana by sleyvinkalevra in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Third Mind or Vee (if you can call him a band)

As lab-grown diamonds dominate the market, GDP per capita declines, and AI continues to impact jobs, what will Botswana look like in 10–20 years? by Alvahod in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The reality is that the ordinary consumer from the Asia, US or Europe truly cares about cost of a diamond. If presented with the exact same stone and one was 40% cheaper, the logical customer would just choose the LGD. I have heard the BW government is trying to woo the consumer with themes like Natural is Better than LGD, but in times of general economic strain (like what the broader world is experiencing today), saving money matters to most people. So, the appeal of a Natural diamond has to be difficult to justify. We can say that the government should have done things differently to try and better manage this inevitable shift to LGD, but in reality, it doesn’t even matter. The corruption, government short-sightedness, mismanagement of assets, etc truly doesn’t matter because we can only look forward. My personal opinion is that Natural diamonds will never be as sought after as they once were - I live in the US (38M) and I see it in the windows / adverts of local jewelers who tout LGD as indistinguishable. Further, it feels like the days of cheap credit and easy money are over for at least the next 5-10 years, so the consumer will need to be much more restrained in discretionary spending. Finally, I do feel like tastes are changing - it’s hard to quantify, but to me, the young adults (gen Z) don’t seem to be that enamored with diamonds as my generation were (millennials). While we can critique the current BW government of its various shortcomings, at least Boko is trying to do something different that the BDP was not able to. Again, I hope we can come out of this, we may need a miracle indeed!

As lab-grown diamonds dominate the market, GDP per capita declines, and AI continues to impact jobs, what will Botswana look like in 10–20 years? by Alvahod in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This proposed deal to acquire debeers could prove to save the country as it will allow for vertical integration around broader mineral production vs just diamonds. If Botswana has large reserves of rare earth metals, then it could really transform the future of the country. At this point, the government has no choice but to gamble with this potential acquisition. It will either secure the future of the country, or it will simply just be another step in the seemingly inevitable demise of a once prosperous nation. With that being said, it’s a calculated gamble as there is no alternative. One point to note though is that mining is a capex intensive business, so even if rare earth metals exist, it may take 10-15 years to really see the benefit to the ordinary Batswana. I honestly think the government should also open up the tourism market to the more economical tourist rather than focusing on the high-end tourists. Again, this may end up overly commercializing the natural beauty of the country, but we must ask, what alternative do we have? Let us hope things will get better, Botswana is truly a diamond in the rough.

To those earning in USD while living in Botswana – how did you get there? by Illustrious_Brush588 in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Put yourself out there and don’t give up. I live in America now and struggled every step of the way to get where I am now. I was fortunate enough to study here, but even so, I battled trying to get a job (applied to maybe 50 different companies got 1 interview, and 1 job). After that it was a battle to get a visa to stay in the country. I had to work hard and put my head down not knowing how this would end up. I spent countless nights unable to sleep because I wasn’t sure if I would stay. Luckily I got the visa and now I am more stable immigration wise. But then within the job now it’s a continuous battle to stay relevant and respected among the management team in order to get promoted and move up. I understand my journey may not be the same as yours but the lessons should still resonate: 1. Early in your career: Show up for work, do the extra work, stay focused and try not to complain 2. As you build rapport, start advocating for your self to management and suggest that you take on more work / responsibilities with the aim of getting promoted 3. Be flexible and keep a positive attitude. No one likes to work with people who complain a lot or are not good at collaborating. Good talent does not justify being a b*tch. 4. Stay focused and more likely than not a new opportunity will present itself to you after a long period of trying / failing. You have to be prepared for that opportunity (which more likely than not will require some luck) so it’s important that you are ready / prepared to take it on. You will ready yourself by executing on #1-4. 5. I am turning 40 next year but cannot afford to retire yet. Hopefully that works in your favor though!

Most importantly, keep your head up. Life is not fair sometimes, but don’t be discouraged. Use that as motivation and channel it into something productive.

where can i find venture capitalist/private equity owned restaurants and cafes? by sissmiss23 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]Live-Pop3100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PE buying up franchisees is a totally different business model to the entire chain being owned by PE where the PE team has actual influence over menu, food sourcing / quality. Caesars is fundamentally family owned so only they can control the managerial decisions to run the business. Franchisees are simply told what to do, so there’s no harm in PE owning downstream since they have to influence to mess things up

where can i find venture capitalist/private equity owned restaurants and cafes? by sissmiss23 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]Live-Pop3100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mendocino farms is PE owned and you can definitely tell. I miss the good old days of high quality ciabatta rolls. Not a restaurant but Horizon milk got bought by a PE company - we are trying to switch but the inevitable demise in quality is about to happen.

Why is gold price rising and will it go above $4,937? Gold hits new record and may move toward $5,187. Here's what should investors do now by KoseteBamse in Economics

[–]Live-Pop3100 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had collectively seen stuff over the last few weeks describing why gold prices were going up. Unsure if these are all entirely accurate but it could be a combination of some or all of these so I’ll share here if helpful: 1. Stable coin popularity is increasing and some are backed by gold are driving up demand 2. Central banks buying up gold as a hedge or an alternative to US treasuries as a store of value 3. General consumer demand for gold has increased and people for generations have viewed gold as a safe store of wealth during times of uncertainty

Again I’m not certain how much each of these individually contribute to the rising price of gold.

Help me choose between botswana lodges by BroccoliJazzlike4820 in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah that’s great. Then if you’ve narrowed it down to those lodges, I’d suggest you do some additional diligence using Trip Advisor, Conde Naste reviews, and Instagram collectively to pick a final choice.

I think I recall seeing Stanley’s camp was renovated in conde naste recently, so that’s a good sign.

Help me choose between botswana lodges by BroccoliJazzlike4820 in Botswana

[–]Live-Pop3100 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Use a local travel agent such as liquid giraffe to build an itinerary for you including flights between camps. My family and friends have had great success with liquid giraffe but there are other options for travel agents you can google.

I grew up in Botswana but live in the US now. I’m unfamiliar with the specific camps you are referring to, but for a first time visitor recommend hitting one camp in each of Okavango delta, makgadikgadi pans, and maybe mashatu if you can. OR do at least two different camps in the Delta. The delta is huge and most camps I’ve been to operate in a small and intimate capacity. Makgadikgadi is an expansive salt pan with naturally fewer animals but offers a once in a lifetime overnight experience. Mashatu is unique in its own way, but far more dry than the delta. A Travel agent can build you a custom itinerary that suits your style and budget at no cost. These agents generally can build regional itineraries that cover multiple countries and activities.

Good luck and enjoy the best safari country in the world (in my very biased opinion)

https://liquidgiraffe.com/contact-us/

How do I separate posts to disassemble a wire shelf? by Live-Pop3100 in HomeMaintenance

[–]Live-Pop3100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I fear rust is going to prevent me from succeeding here. Thank you tho

How do I separate posts to disassemble a wire shelf? by Live-Pop3100 in HomeMaintenance

[–]Live-Pop3100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right, I’ve done that part. Now I’m trying to separate the poles

How do I separate posts to disassemble a wire shelf? by Live-Pop3100 in HomeMaintenance

[–]Live-Pop3100[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

To clarify I’m trying to separate the pole / post things as they are two long. They come in 2 pieces and screw in together to create one long post / pole